Free Speech

The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, of the press, of association, of assembly,
and of petition from suppression by the government. These constitutional guarantees,
collectively known as the right to freedom of expression, are essential to the mission
of Binghamton University.

University on Free Speech

As an institution dedicated to excellence and higher learning, Binghamton University
encourages open debate and the exchange of ideas and opinions. As a state university,
Binghamton University must protect the First Amendment rights of the campus community.
The University's commitment to free speech is discussed fully in "The Report of the
President's Commission on Free Speech and Academic Freedom", the introduction of which
reads:

"Freedom of expression and academic freedom are essential to our understanding of
the purpose of a university. At the State University of New York at Binghamton we
view the university as an institution that recognizes unfettered freedom in the give
and take of ideas and opinions as an integral part of its mission. The ideal of the
university as a marketplace of ideas must not, however, interfere with the equally
important ideal of a university as a place where all people are respected, and where
tolerance, rational discourse, thoughtfulness, and reason prevail over uncontrolled
emotion and prejudice. In theory, the twin ideals of a university as a marketplace
of ideas and as a community of scholarship should not conflict; in practice, however,
they sometimes do."